European jobs fight

The mood for action grows

OVER 300,000 workers marched throughout Europe in
mid-May demonstrations against rising unemployment following a call by
the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). Around 150,000 marched in
Madrid, 100,000 in Berlin, 50,000 in Brussels and 30,000 in Prague.
These official figures, which gradually rose as the date of the
demonstrations neared, exceeded all expectations.

A look at the joblessness figures across Europe
explains why. In the euro-zone, well over 20 million workers (8.9%) are
out of work, 17% in Spain. Their numbers increased by 626,000 last March
alone, 24% higher than in March 2008. Furthermore, it is estimated that
the recession will destroy 8.5 million jobs by the end of 2010. No
wonder that hundreds of thousands workers responded to the long overdue
call of the ETUC.

In Belgium, the demo marked the first trade union
mobilisation since the beginning of the recession. In June 2008,
thousands of workers demonstrated for wage increases, following an
earlier spontaneous outbreak of struggles in over 200 workplaces over
wages in January 2008. This was never followed up, partly because of the
outbreak of the economic crisis. The trade union leaders dropped wage
demands and agreed a very minimal collective agreement. Since then,
trade union activity has been on the defensive, mainly concentrated on
limiting the damage of the attacks faced by workers. But the ETUC demo
in Brussels illustrated that it is possible to mobilise also in times of
crisis. It is true there were important international delegations, but
the bulk of the demonstrators came from Belgium.

The ETUC correctly stated that demonstrators were
demanding "ambitious action for employment". However, few workers think
the ETUC demands are sufficiently ambitious to fit the ETUC claim to
‘Put People First’. Unfortunately, the demands are no more than
copy-pasted proposals made earlier by the representatives of the main
political parties, the same people who, until recently, declared the
supremacy of the ‘self-regulating’ market system. The ETUC warns against
protectionism, makes calls to "invest heavily in services and industry",
and to "offer a future to the car industry and textiles". It argues for
"stronger regulation of the financial markets", believes Europe should
"construct social rights instead of destroying them", "aim for green
growth and green jobs", "stop reducing the role of the state, non-profit
and social economy", and fight tax fraud.

Most of those marching in Brussels, and elsewhere,
have a different agenda. Their main message was: ‘We are not prepared to
pay up for their crisis!’ ‘Socialism or Barbarity!’ read a banner of the
DAF car workers. ‘United against capitalism’, read an Audi worker’s
placard. ‘Let’s refuse to pay up for the capitalist crisis’, was the
message carried by the Brussels public transport workers. The
francophone socialist trade union campaign slogan, ‘Capitalism is bad
for your health’, was a major success, including among many Flemish
demonstrators. The official demonstration speakers had to reflect that
mood and verbally attack ‘casino capitalism’. This expresses a growing
anti-capitalist mood, which creates big possibilities for the left.

There are, however, not only opportunities but also
dangers inherent in the situation. Anti-capitalist rhetoric unrelated to
concrete action can stimulate an anti-political mood that aids the
far-right and populist elements. The ETUC mobilisation should not be a
one-off, covert support for the political ‘allies’ of the so-called
left, but the beginning of a real European action plan aiming to
culminate in a European general strike.

Such an action plan would need to be built on the
basis of demands that can really offer solutions: a generalised
reduction of working hours, without loss of pay, to combat unemployment;
no participation in the stock market casino by companies active in key
sectors such as energy supply, public transport, post, telecoms and
finances, and their nationalisation under the control of workers and
consumers; the re-nationalisation of former public services; and the
introduction of public control over research for clean production.

Unfortunately, the ETUC demands are miles away from
this. Not even a rejection of European Union’s programme for
neo-liberalisation and privatisation, the Lisbon Treaty, was included in
its demands. It is as if the ETUC does not know that the EU is primarily
a bosses’ club which is against workers’ rights and has one main aim: to
transform Europe into the world’s ‘most competitive region’.